Wearable

ARM has revealed four new processors that should help enrich consumer tech products aimed at the mainstream market. The new additions to the company’s lineup are the Ethos-N57 and Ethos-N37 Neural Processing Units (NPU), the Mali-G57 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and the Mali-D37 Display Processor Unit (DPU).

The Honor Band incorporates a 0.96-inch colour touchscreen display that operates at a resolution of 160 x 80. The fitness tracker supports NFC, along with heart rate, sleep patterns and Sp02 monitoring. The band is up to 5 ATM water-resistant too and launches at CNY 159 (~US$22), with a pre-sale starting today. The company has also unveiled the xSport Pro, a new pair of wireless in-ear headphones.

A new study into user attitudes towards wearables found that health tracking is the most popular use of this electronics category. 36% of those polled reported concerns that these functions may not live up to reality, however. 10% of the respondents also said they worried about data security on these devices.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is planning on releasing its rumored AR glasses sometime in 2020. The glasses, while still in development, may eventually become a replacement product of the iPhone. However, a lot of work remains to be done, including the development of a "killer application."

Razer is getting into the wireless earbuds market, according to news from China. The earbuds and their accompanying charging case look like a hybrid between the Apple AirPods and the Samsung Galaxy Buds but adorned with the gaming company's logo. The earbuds, which seem to be sold under Razer's Hammerhead branding, are available to buy now for CNY 799 (~US$113). There is no word yet whether they will be sold outside of China, though.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 has now been released, with our review following in tow too. While the successor to the Watch GT is certainly appealing, it suffers from some glaring issues too.

Fitbit has expanded access to its Spotify app to the first-generation Versa and Versa Lite. The Ionic fitness watch is also included in this update. It enables these wearables to manage playback and podcasts on the music streaming platform, and to control other devices that can use the same.

1More is the ODM responsible for Xiaomi's audio wearables. However, it also releases these products under its own brand. The latest of these are truly wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC).

Google unveiled its second-generation Pixel Buds at its 2019 'Made By' event. They are truly wireless products that, as the OEM claims, have been designed to be as compact and streamlined as possible. Nevertheless, they are rated for 5 hours of battery life, or 24 hours from their charging case.

The Amazfit GTS has made its way to India, having been unveiled in China earlier this year. The Apple Watch clone features a 1.65-inch and 348 x 442 AMOLED panel, which sits within a 43.25 x 36.25 x 9.4 mm chassis. The 5 ATM water-resistant smartwatch also weighs 27.2 g without a strap and is available on Amazon.in for ₹9,999 (~US$140).

The Honor Band 5 convinced us during our tests and is a good fitness tracker package at an affordable cost. The device offers more than the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 does in our opinion too, despite its shortcomings. One may have people looking elsewhere, though.

Skullcandy has released Vert, a new set of Bluetooth wireless earbuds. Unlike most products in this category, however, they are not of the typical "neckbud" form-factor. Instead, the buds are linked to a dial-like clip-on module, which may fit in better with pursuits needing heavy gloves or helmets.

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 has been on the market for a weeks but its special Under Armour Edition has been MIA until now. The Apple Watch Nike challenger has finally hit the market in the US with its global rollout also underway

OnePlus has unveiled its second-gen McLaren Edition phone today (October 10, 2019). It is a 12GB/256GB version of the new 7T Pro (which was also unveiled today) with a signature black-and-orange finish. Other highlights of the OEM's latest show included the 7T and its series' UK pricing.

New research has shown that the market for semiconductors is estimated to grow to US$573 billion in 5 years. This may be driven by a demand for these materials in wireless communications, vehicles and online connectivity. However, the common-or-garden integrated circuit will continue to influence the market into the next decade.

The Mi Band is a popular fitness wearable series worldwide, albeit with one potential drawback: many units sold outside China come without NFC. Its maker, Xiaomi, will reportedly address this deficiency in its next generation. This device is also now said to be more durable and sophisticated that its predecessor.

Along with its (impressively varied) new PCs, Microsoft also introduced its first-ever true wireless earbuds today (October 2, 2019). These Surface Earbuds are capable of noise-canceling and voice-activation features. However, they are also designed to carry out tasks such as slide-switching and translation during PowerPoint presentations.

LG has unveiled new products called the Tone+ Free earbuds in its home country. Unlike the OEM's earlier similar products, these wearables are completely wireless and come in a charging case like the AirPods and other similar devices. They come in black or white and are available for pre-order from now.

One of two cameras that GoPro has announced today, the GoPro Max replaces the GoPro Fusion 360 as the company's premier 360° action camera. The GoPro Max features 16.6 MP 360° and 5.5 MP sensors and costs US$499.99. GoPro is offering a complimentary 64 GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with pre-orders, which will ship on October 15.

On cue, GoPro has taken the wraps off the successor to the Hero 7 Black, aptly named the Hero 8 Black. The new action camera features a 12 MP sensor that can shoot in up to 4K at 60 FPS or 1080p at 240 FPS. The Hero 8 Black supports HyperSmooth 2.0, TimeWarp 2.0, 1080p live streaming and four lens modes ranging from 16 mm to 39 mm. The Hero 8 Black is available to order now for US$399.99, and GoPro is including a 32 GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with pre-orders. Pre-orders will ship on October 15.

There is only one day to go until GoPro unveils its next action cameras, but advertising materials, packaging and pricing of the Hero 8 Black have appeared online. The leak even details some of the accessories that GoPro will sell with the successor to the Hero 7 Black too.

Visionox is a company involved in the manufacture of flexible display panels. Its latest trick has been the Mi Mix Alpha, Xiaomi's new limited-edition wraparound-screen phone. It has recently opened a new assembly line on which similar screens measuring up to 18 inches can be produced.

Soundcore has unveiled its new Liberty 2 Pro truly wireless earbuds. The company claims that they have been designed in a way that produces true "sonic alignment", thus delivering a more accurate soundstage, clear bass and distinct treble. They will be available in October 2019 for about US$150.

The PRO TREK Smart WSD-F21HR is a new Casio watch with a heart-rate monitor, as well as a range of other sensors for outdoor functions and general location management. It has a 1.32-inch dual display to save battery, a microphone and Wear OS.

The Manifest has conducted a study to find out which name was most familiar in the wearables sphere. 77% of those polled were able to name Fitbit in this context, compared to 73% for the next most recognized name ("Apple Watch"). Ironically, the latter sold a million more units in the second quarter of 2019 (2Q2019) than the former.

Amazon has introduced a new Echo Studio speaker and Echo Buds in-ear wireless headphones. Both feature the latest sound technologies including support for Dobly Atmos in the former and Bose active noise-cancelling circuitry in the latter.

Facebook has announced several updates for its Oculus Quest standalone headset that are likely to greatly broaden its appeal. The company has announced that it is introducing wired PC support for the headset as well as hand tracking that extends its capabilities significantly.

Xiaomi normally releases fitness bands or watches that run proprietary apps rather than a dedicated, familiar OS. A tech blog may have found evidence that this may change soon. It claims to have detected code in the Wear OS phone app that points to upcoming compatible products from this OEM.

Xiaomi has followed up on the success of last year's Mi AirDots Pro with a suitably named successor, the Mi AirDots Pro 2. The headphones will be available in China from September 27 for CNY 399 (~US$55) and look uncannily like the AirPods, which Apple currently sells for between US$159 and US$199.

Google has announced that future updates will make it more difficult to activate the Assistant by mistake. The company has also taken pains to reassure users that their audio data will not be collected by default in the same release. A specific opt-in determines whether the same will be analysed by humans or not.

Set your watches to 06:00 PDT (UTC -7) on October 1, for that is when GoPro will be hosting its next annual hardware refresh. The company is expected to unveil the GoPro Hero 8 and GoPro Max, which will succeed the GoPro Hero 7 and GoPro Fusion 360 respectively, with many high-resolution marketing pictures of both having already appeared online.

Puro Sound Labs describes itself as "the world's leading manufacturer of premium, safe-listening headphones". It has developed the PuroGamer, a "studio-grade" headset with 50-millimeter (mm) graphene drivers for better audio at lower volumes. This product also has a noise-canceling, detachable boom mic.

Smart materials may prove to be the basis of the electronic components of the future. Their market's value was estimated at US$36 billion in 2017. That figure is now thought to grow until it hits $127 billion in 7 years from now.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 is this OEM's latest smartwatch. It has a 1.39-inch HD OLED display encased in "3D Glass". It comes in 42 and 46 millimeter (mm) variants, and is rated for 2 weeks of battery life.

Business Insider has published a new report that claims to offer an insight into the development of Google-brand smartwatches. It also outlines the nature of the "secret" technology purchased by this company from Fossil, which allegedly results in hybrid devices that are removed from the pure Wear OS device that may be expected of a first-gen Pixel Watch.

Google's I/O 2019 event saw announcements for plans to bring Chrome's Incognito Mode to mobile services such as Search. This is now reportedly in testing for Maps. It is accessed by tapping the avatar associated with a Google account within this app.

facebook is certainly not the first to try its hand at augmented reality smartglasses, but with the help of Ray-Ban parent company Luxotica, the social media giant will market its upcoming AR tech as a true smartphone killer. The smartglasses will also integrate cameras plus an AI voice assistant, and will work in conjunction with a ring-like device that enables motion sensing.

The Live Free truly wireless earbuds are the latest products from the company JAM Audio. It is claimed that they are smaller and more comfortable than their predecessors. They also come in a handy case that is rated for a battery life of 54 hours or more.

The PRT-B50 is a new PRO TREK model that can connect to a smartphone app via Bluetooth. Unlike some other Casio watches with this ability, however, this new product has a non-digital watchface. Its physical hands can be used to do things such as point to a saved location.

The PineTime is the latest side project of PINE64, the company behind the PineBook Pro and PinePhone. The smartwatch will integrate a Nordic nF52832 SoC and will support Bluetooth 5, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, ANT and NFC. The device will include a heart rate monitor too, along with multi-day battery life and a zinc alloy and plastic chassis. The PineTime will cost US$25, with PINE64 encouraging ARM Mbed and FreeRTOS developers to join the project too.

Huawei has more up its sleeve for its next launch event than just the Mate 30 series. In anticipation of this Thursday's event in Munich, the Chinese company has teased the successor to the Watch GT, aptly named the Watch GT 2. Read on to see what the video reveals and what we know so far about Huawei's next smartwatch.

Huawei unveiled a new line of smart glasses along with the P30 smartphone series. However, nothing has been heard of them since. Now, however, they have reportedly been released to the Chinese market in several different styles and opacities.

Among a host of other revelations at the recent Apple Special Event, the Cupertino company also officially announced the Apple Watch Series 5. The latest iteration of the highly successful smartwatch features an Always-On Retina display and comes in a huge range of customizable options. Prices start from US$399 for the basic 40 mm space-gray aluminum case with sport band GPS-only model (requires iPhone connection).

The Apple U1 chip is new hardware that controls ultrawide band (UWB) energy transfers between devices. This enables compatible products to locate each other and exchange data in a way non-U1-enabled counterparts cannot. These new features are exclusive to the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.

Huawei has taken to IFA to unveil new wireless earbuds alongside the Kirin 990 SoC. They are the latest in the Freebuds line of wearables, and are thus AirPod clones (in their looks at least). These 3rd-gen products have a dedicated dual-Bluetooth chipset of their own, "intelligent" noise cancellation and a unique charging case.

The Huawei Watch GT is a popular wearable in which the in-house software LiteOS had its debut. Now, the respected leaker Roland Quandt asserts that it is to get a second generation. This smartwatch will apparently have a larger battery than its predecessor.